


Too Good to be True

by J_J_Janson



Category: New Game! (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-21 02:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13731402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_J_Janson/pseuds/J_J_Janson
Summary: On Kou's first night back from France, Rin works up the courage to propose. But Kou doesn't realize it was a marriage proposal.





	1. Chapter 1

The day had finally come. Rin and Hazuki were waiting in the airport for Kou to return from her two years abroad. Even after all of that waiting, the minutes Rin spent waiting were torturous. It was like there were butterflies in her stomach, except those butterflies were trying to make a mad dash towards Kou regardless of what that did to Rin’s insides. It was not a fun feeling. Rin turned to leave. “Actually Hazuki-san, you can welcome Kou-chan back yourself, I’ll just head home and see her at work tomorrow.”

The older woman grabbed Rin by the shoulders. “Rin, you know I love you, and I’m sure you’re nervous about asking Kou-” Hazuki stopped herself from saying more, so as not to exacerbate Rin’s anxiety. “You’re nervous about all of that, and I understand, but a beautiful woman like you doesn’t deserve to be single. If you don’t at least stick around for Kou’s arrival, I promise to sweep you off your feet and steal you from that oblivious blonde you’re so attached to.” She gave Rin a wink.

Her boss’ antics still brought a smile to Rin’s face. Hazuki really could not resist a pretty girl. 

“Oh!” a voice behind them blurted. “Did you two come to pick me up?”

One moment, Hazuki was holding Rin by the shoulders, and the next she was watching Rin wrap Kou in a tight embrace. 

Kou spoke up without returning the hug. “Oh hey Rin! How are you?”

Rin awkwardly ended the hug. “Oh, okay, you?”

“Oh yeah, I’m great! I learned so much! I can’t wait to show you all the stuff I learned in France! Come on, let’s go to the office right now!”

Hazuki held her arms up in an x. “Nope. Vetoed. You’re going out with Rin tonight. You owe her a good time.”

Kou pouted. “I can show Rin a great time by showing her all the stuff I learned in France.” 

Hazuki shook her head. “Rin planned a whole night for you to welcome you back, and you can thank her by enjoying it.”

Kou shrugged. “Alright, Rin, let’s head out then.”

Hazuki gave Rin encouraging thumbs up when Kou’s back was turned, and Rin replied with a very nervous thumbs up.

***

After a few hours at an arcade and a fancy dinner, Kou and Rin were enjoying a stroll through the night air. “This is nice,” Kou beamed. “I should get outside for fresh air more often.”

“Yeah,” Rin replied absently. She’d run through this so many times in her head, but when it came time to do it in real life she didn’t know what to do. Her hand was nervously playing with the small, ornate box in her pocket. 

“I mean, I did get out in France. A lot actually. Just getting out there and seeing the sights really inspired me to improve my art, you know? And it made me realize that I didn’t do that enough here in Japan. It really felt like I’d just let life pass me by without noticing it, you know?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Rin said, still fidgeting with the box she couldn’t bring up the nerve to pull out.

“But it’s good to be back. And to be working with you again. I missed you a whole lot, and I don’t think I wanna be separated from you for a long time ever again, Rin.”

This was the perfect moment. “Neither do I, Kou-chan.” Rin pulled out the box, carefully flipping it open. Inside, there was a ring, and Rin presented it to Kou. “Let’s spend the rest of our lives together, Kou-chan.”

Kou took the ring, and gave Rin a gentle smile in return. “Sounds like a plan, Rin.”

***

Rin was giddy all through work the next day, with her head stuck in the clouds. After going home, she’d begun calling reservations. Mostly the stuff Kou wouldn’t be interested in, like the invitations, the flowers, and the decorations. She’d also scheduled an appointment for a dress fitting. Rin didn’t want to dump a ton of wedding planning on Kou the night of the proposal, but she’d spent the previous few months planning the whole thing after working up the confidence to propose.

While in a meeting with Kou and Hazuki, Rin could not sit still, or keep the grin off her face. Hazuki gave Kou a sly grin. “Anything interesting happen last night?” she asked, changing the subject from the business of bringing Kou back into the office.

Kou blinked. “Well, Rin and I went out. That’s about it.”

“I guess you weren’t surprised then.”

“No, it’s pretty clear what Rin felt, and I felt the same way.”

Hazuki nodded wisely. “I’m glad you do.” 

They returned to business.

***

Kou and Rin were laughing together in the lunchroom, with Kou recounting a story from her stay in France, when Hajime came up. As she was walking by, she jostled Kou with her elbow. “So, when’s the wedding?”

Kou snorted. “Haha, yeah.”

Hajime and Rin gave her a funny look. “Have you thought about the date, Kou-chan?”

Kou pulled out her phone. “Today’s the seventh.”

“And nothing interesting happened last night, Kou-chan? Nothing, well, life changing?”

Kou shrugged. “I didn’t really do anything after I got back to my place. Just crawled into bed. Didn’t even bother to unpack. Is that what you meant?”

Rin suddenly blurted “Hajime, is the character team still in their cubicle?”

Hajime responded with a hesitant “Yeah.”

“Why don’t you go say hi to them, Kou-chan!”

Kou shrugged. “Okay.”

Once Kou was out of earshot, Rin put her head in her hands. “I- I don’t think Kou realizes I proposed to her last night.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Hazuki had been kind enough to reserve a small conference room where Rin could cry and vent to her. But Rin didn’t want to cry. She just wanted to complain.

“How could Kou-chan be so oblivious! I asked her to marry me and she has no idea.”

Hazuki hesitated before asking “Did you specifically ask her ‘will you marry me?’ She might not have gotten it otherwise.”

Rin thought back to what had been the happiest night of her life before this misunderstanding tainted it. “I think I asked her to spend the rest of our lives together.” Rin stopped for a moment. But then the anger flashed back up. “But I gave her a ring! What did she think I meant?”

Hazuki shrugged. “Kou probably wasn’t thinking. She just accepted it at face value.”

Rin continued to wring her hands together grumpily. 

Sighing, Hazuki lamented how petty Rin could get when she was actually angry at Kou. The oblivious blonde could get away with a great deal, but once in a while she took a step too far and left Rin like this. Rin needed something to change the mood. 

Pulling a rose out of nowhere, Hazuki held it out to Rin. “You’ve already started planning the wedding. Why not make it one between you and I?”

A sinister smile took over Rin’s face. “Yeah, and Kou-chan can be my bridesmaid. She’ll plan my bachelorette party, and stand right behind me as she loses me forever. She’ll never know what hit her.”

“I suddenly regret making that joke.” Hazuki grabbed Rin by the shoulders. “You love this woman, obliviousness and all. Go over to her office and ask her, in no uncertain terms, to marry you. You deserve to be happy, and no one can make you happier than Kou. Just tell her how you feel.”

Taking a moment to gather herself, Rin wrapped Hazuki in a tight hug. “You’re the best boss I could ever ask for. Thank you.” Then, she turned and left.

Hazuki slumped into a chair, overcome with tragedy. “I always dreamed of being caught in a love triangle with those two, but it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”

***

Once again, Rin wished Kou’s ‘office’ had a door and some privacy, but what she’d be saying was an open secret anyways. She didn’t mind who listened.

“Kou-chan, are you busy? I wanted to ask you something.”

Kou turned at her desk to look at Rin. “Oh, you’re here! Great timing, Rin, there’s something I’ve been meaning to show you. I started working on it in France and I’ve really wanted you to see it.”

Rin approached Kou’s desk, glancing over the blonde’s shoulder to stare at her computer screen. The words ‘Will you marry me?’ stared up at Kou in floral writing. 

Kou said something else, but Rin’s heart was racing too fast to hear her. “Yes, yes I will,” she whispered, breathless. It had happened. Kou may not have realized Rin was proposing to her, but she herself had planned a proposal for the very next day. This was why Kou had wanted to go straight from the airport back to work. Rin had been blindsided, but had never been so blessed in her life. 

“Great, tell me what Hazuki thinks when you’re done.”

Rin pinched herself to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Or a nightmare. “Sorry Kou, could you repeat that first bit?”

“I was hoping you could show this new font I’ve been working on to Hazuki-san. I saw something like it on a sign, and decided to turn it into a whole thing. It looks really cute with romantic lines, right?”

“It sure does look romantic,” Rin replied, empty of all feeling. “I’m going to go talk to Hazuki-san now.”

As Rin shambled back to the conference room Hazuki was in, Kou called after her “You’re the best, Rin!”


	3. Chapter 3

Rin didn’t know why she had accepted Kou’s offer to go to the arcade. Kou had said something about Rin being ‘down in the dumps lately’ but Rin had only been paying half attention to anything Kou said lately. ‘Yes I will marry you’ was never going to come out of Kou’s lips, so Rin was going to let herself be bitter. She didn’t know what she’d do with the reservations she’d made. Maybe a shotgun wedding with Hazuki wouldn’t be that bad.

A shotgun blast from Kou blasted a zombie that had been about to bite Rin’s character in the game they were playing. Rin mumbled her thanks and then redirected her attention to the game. It was one of those neat point-and-shoot games that really made arcades special. It was certainly a satisfying way to blow off some steam. Blowing off a few dozen zombie heads was putting her in a better mood. “Wow Rin, you got distracted for a bit there, but I think we’re gonna get the high score!” 

This was the same arcade the pair had come to a few days before, when Kou had just gotten back from France. Rin didn’t remember a single thing from her time there, as she’d been so nervous about the proposal. But she knew she hadn’t had as much fun as she was having in that moment.

Kou grabbed Rin’s hand, and Rin found herself blushing in spite of herself. “Come on Rin, let’s check out the dance game next!” 

Kou picked the song, and the pair tried to compete against each other rather than cooperating like in the shooter game. The fast-paced pop song was more Kou’s speed than Rin’s, but sheer determination kept Rin in the running. She worked up a sweat, but still managed to end up just a hair behind Kou’s score. She collapsed to her knees, the adrenaline from their match leaving her in a rush. 

After taking just a moment to catch her breath, Kou took Rin’s hand once again and dragged her to the prize grabbers. 

After half an hour and a week’s pay in quarters, Kou proudly handed a teddy bear to Rin. Rin clutched it to her chest and fluttered her lashes mockingly. “My hero.”

Kou let out a big laugh. “Come on Rin, I get you’re the way cooler one between us, but can’t I have this? Let’s see you try.”

Rin shoved the teddy bear in Kou’s face, rolled up her sleeves, and took her own go at the prize grabber. She won a stuffed koala toy on her first try. She moved on to another machine, and won a model rocket ship on her first try. Within minutes, Rin had conquered every prize grabber in the arcade, and Kou was left trailing behind her with an armful of toys. 

Awkwardly, Kou worked her way down to one knee while still holding all of the prizes. “I must admit defeat. You are truly the champion.”

Rin towered over the blonde, hands on her hips. “I am your queen now, knave. Come, we will return to your apartment and you will cook me a meal worthy of my royal status.”

The two found themselves laughing as they left, Rin’s bad mood forgotten by both parties.

***

Rin had no memory of the fancy restaurant she had taken Kou to just a few nights before. But Kou’s dingy old couch felt like home, and the smell of Kou’s cooking warmed her heart more than any professional chef would ever manage. 

Afterwards, Rin would not remember the meal Kou served that night, but the emotions that had been conveyed through it. Gratitude for their years of friendship, warmth born from love, and a hint of cockiness as Kou showed off her new cooking skills she’d refined in France.

The meal disappeared before Rin had even realized, leaving her and Kou sitting on the couch together. Kou let out a belch, then leaned over until her head was resting in Rin’s lap. “That was good. I got good at cooking in France, didn’t I Rin?”

“I’ll have to give you this one. Speaking of giving, I’ve decided to give you all of the prizes I won tonight. You certainly paid enough for them.” 

Kou let out a laugh, Rin suddenly conscious of the presence of Kou’s head in her lap. “I’m glad you’re doing better, Rin.” Kou gave Rin a heart melting smile.

Rin didn’t even notice the tears running down her cheeks as she responded with, “Kou-chan you dunce.”

That caused Kou to sit up. “Whoa, Rin, are you okay?”

Rin nodded. “Let’s go for a walk. I need some fresh air.”

Kou held Rin’s hand as she was led out of her own room by Rin.

***

Kou kept asking where they were going, but Rin evaded the question until they arrived at the park. “Oh, you wanted to go to this park again? It is pretty nice.”

“Yeah it is,” Rin said as she pulled the ring she had given Kou from Kou’s finger.

“Eh? What are you? Huh?”

Rin got down on one knee. “Kou, you are one of the stupidest, most oblivious people I know. I proposed to you on this exact spot and you didn’t even realize. But do you know what? You’re kind, and spending time with you makes me happier than I’ve ever been. I know I could be happy if I spent the rest of my life with you, and I hope I could give you a life of happiness as well. So, Kou, will you marry me?”

Kou stared down at Rin, who was still on one knee, completely flabbergasted. “Wait. Rin. You want to marry? Me? I’m a slob. I’m dumb and forgetful. You’ve got your life together and really could do so much better. I never even imagined you would, well, you know. Have feelings for me?”

Rin stood up and grabbed Kou by the shoulders. “Kou. We’ve been dating for years. We’ve gone on so many dates. Did. Did you not realize?”

“I thought that was just. Friends being friends.” Kou hesitated. “But. Well. I didn’t even think this could happen. But I want you to know that you really make me happy. I love you so much, and I cannot imagine my life without you. I just spent two years away from you and all I could think of was how much cool stuff I’d be able to talk to you about when I got back. All the new games that have come out, all the ways I’ve grown as an artist, and just being able to spend more time with you. I really don’t know how to say how happy marrying you would make me. I didn’t even know we were dating, but will you marry me?”

In all of her fantasies about this day, Rin thought it would end with a passionate kiss. But that wasn’t to be. All she could do was laugh. “I just asked you to marry me, for the second time this week, and now you’re asking me? The answer is yes, obviously. But I can’t believe how you this is.”

Kou gave Rin a sly grin. “And knowing you, you’ve already started on planning the wedding.”

Rin gulped, guilty as charged.

“Let’s go back to your place. We need to plan our wedding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's finally the end. I really enjoyed writing this. I love the cast of New Game! and this pairing in particular because it's what got me posting fic. I don't know when I'll write more for it, but I hope people enjoyed reading this as I enjoyed writing it!

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first pairing I ever wrote here on AO3, so I thought I'd celebrate Femslash February by writing another piece for them to show how much I've improved. I missed these two, and I'm really happy to be writing them again.


End file.
